Upholstered furniture



' Oct. 22, 1963 D. F. CALDEMEYER ETAL UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE Filed Oct. 11, 1960 INVENTORS DAN/EL E C $405M! YER Hownxo M (JAKE/V5061! BY 3,107,365 UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE Daniel F. Caldemeyer, Vanderburgh County, and Howard M. Quakenbush, Evansville, Ind., assignors to National Furniture Manufacturing Co., Inc, Evansville, Ind., a

corporation of Indiana Filed Oct. 11, 1960, Ser. No. 61,976 2 (ll-aims. (Cl. -51) The present invention relates to upholstered furniture, and more particularly to a new and improved cover fabric tensioning and levelizing arrangement for convertible type upholstered furniture, such as the commonly known sofa bed.

In the types of convertible upholstered furniture now in use, the structure thereof typically includes a cover fabric made from separate pieces of material, i.e. one piece of cover fabric is used on the seat portion of the furniture, while another separate piece of cover fabric is used on the back portion of the furniture. The aforesaid use of separate pieces of material was found necessary because of the difficulty in maintaining a smooth cover fabric on the furniture when the latter was at its sitting or sleeping positions. Where, on the contrary, an integral or one piece cover fabric was employed, the latter proved unsatisfactory because of the wrinkling thereof during usage and, hence, because of the unsightly appearance it presented for the furniture.

By virtue of the instant invention, the applicants have provided a new and novel tensionin g arrangement for levelizing the cover fabric on a convertible type upholstered furniture which, as indicated hereabove, might be the commonly known sofa bed, Briefly, the instant invention includes the use of an extension member on a movable portion of the furniture, where such extension member provides a continual levelizing effect on the cover fabric which is secured thereto. The resulting article of furniture permits the use of an integral or one piece cover fabric which presents an attractive and neat appearance in any of its positions of use.

According-1y, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel tensioning arrangement for the cover fabric of convertible type upholstered furniture.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel tensioning arrangement for convertible type upholstered furniture which permits the use of a one piece cover fabric and which, at the same time, provides an attractive level appearance during use.

A further and more general object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel tensioning arrangement for upholstered furniture which is made from a minimum number of components, and which is readily installed during the manufacture of the furniture.

Other objects and a better understanding of the invention will become more apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of a typical convertible type upholstered furniture unit, with the side arms removed, showing the instant invention when the furniture is positioned for seating purposes;

FIG. 2 is another view of the upholstered furniture unit of FIG. 1 where, however, the furniture unit is positioned for sleeping purposes;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view in side elevation, partly fragmentary, showing details of the applicants novel tensionin g arrangement, corresponding to the furniture position of FIG. 1; and,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view in side elevation, partly fragmentary, similar to that of FIG. 3, but corresponding to the furniture position of FIG. 2.

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawing and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

Referring now to the figures, a conventional convertible type upholstered furniture unit is disclosed, typically, a commonly known sofa bed 10. The sofa bed of the figures generally includes a rectangular supporting framework 14 positioned by legs 15, and receiving at opposite ends thereof a hinge structure 18 of conventional form and operation. Portions 18a 'of each of the hinge structures 18 are adapted to receive rectangular frames 19 and 29 which respectively define the front section 20 and the back section 30 of the sofa bed 10 and, as understood in the art, are movable with relation to each other.

Specifically, the frames 19 and 29 extend the entire length of the sofa bed 10, i.e. between the arms thereof, and, in a typical arrangement, wedge like members 25 are disposed on rails defining each, the latter being identified in the figures as front crossrail 19a, rear crossrail 19b, and side rails 19c; and, bottom crossrail 290, top crossrail 29b, and side rails 290. A series of springs 26, conventionally being the no-sa-g type, are secured to and extend between the aforesaid wedge-like members 25 disposed on the front crossrail 19a, the rear crossrail 1%, the bottom crossrail 29a and the top crossrail 29b. Burlap or like material 27 is placed on the springs 26, and cushioning 23, in the form of polyurethane, is placed on the burlap 27. The assembly is completed by the use of a one piece cover fabric 35, typically having cording 35w disposed thereon, and variously secured to the frames 19 and 29 and/ or the wedge-like members 25, as should be evident from FIGS. 1 and 2.

In order to achieve a desired cover fabric 35 which is continually in tension, and thereby level, the applicantsherein have provided for a tension control member 40 which is typically in the form of a flat member 41 secured to and extending outwardly from the undersurface of the bottom crossrail 29a of the frame 29 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). In a typical practice of the invention, the tension control member '40 is directed downwardly by reason of theme of a wedge member '42, for preventing any interference between the tension control member 40 and the rear crossrail 1% of frame 19 when the front and back sections 2.0 and 30, respectively, of the upholstered unit are opened, i.e. are positioned in a generally horizontal plane, to form a bed.

The aforesaid tension control member 49 has denim or like fabric 36 typically secured to the undersurface thereof and to the undersurface of the rear crossrail 19b of the frame d9, and is preassembled to the cover fabric 35 at generally parallel stitching lines 50 and 51 which extend along the length of the sofa bed generally at the junction (or space) between the frontsection 20' and the back section 30 thereof. In other words, when the upholstered unit is assembled, the cover fabric 35- and the denim 36 are preassembled, where during installation, the free ends of the latter are secured to the rear crossrail 19b of the frame 19 and to the tension control member 40. The free ends of the cover fabric 35 are secured to portions of the frames 19 and 29, and/or to the wedgelike members 25, as known in the art.

With the use of the instant novel tension control member 40, a continual tensioning effect is placed on the cover fabric 35', either when the upholstered unit is in sitting position or when the upholstered unit is opened to make a bed. It should be observed that the aforesaid desired action is effectively accomplished through proper dimensioning of the denim, as well as the position of the stitching lines between the cover fabric 35 and the denim 36, factors largely dictated by the style of the furniture. Moreover, it should be understood that by adjusting the distance between the stitching lines '50 and 51, a false cord appearance can be obtained, so that the back section 30 will have a cording at its top front and the appearance of a cord at its bottom front, the latter, however, disappearing into the fabric when the upholstered unit is opened to form a bed.

From the preceding, it should be apparent that the applicants have provided a new and novel tensioning arrangement which has particular application in maintaining the cover fabric of a sofa bed or like article of upholstered furniture in a smooth and level condition, notwithstanding whether the sofa bed is in sitting or sleeping position. The aforedescribed tensioning arrangement is susceptible to various changes within the spirit of the invention as, for example, single or multiple stitching lines may be employed between the cover fabric and the denim, and the tension control member 40 may be secured to the rear crossrail 19b of the frame 19, instead of as disclosed in the drawing. Thus, the above description should be considered illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. In upholstered furniture having frames movable one with reference to another, said frames each having crossrails and side rails, cushioning members disposed on each of said frames, and a one piece cover fabric disposed on said cushioning members and secured to said frames, a tension control arrangement comprising a plate member secured to a crosrail of one of said frames and extending beyond an edge thereof in the direction of the other of said frames, a wedge member disposed between said plate member and said crossrail so that said plate member extends downwardly in cantilevered relationship with said crossrail of said one of said frames, and a second fabric preassembled to said cover fabric by at least one seam disposed proximate a space defined between said cushioning members disposed on said frames, said second fabric having free ends secured to said plate meber of said tension control arrangement and to a crossrail of said other of said frames.

2. The arrangement of claim 1 where two seams preassemble said second fabric to said cover fabric and simulate cording on said cover fabric.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,279,286 Bell Apr. 7, 1942 2,561,637 Rex July 24, 1951 2,768,390 Simmons Oct. 30, 1956 2,800,665 Carrick et al July 30, 1957 2,865,030 Carrick Dec. 23, 1958 2,982,975 Goodman May 9, 1961 

1. IN UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE HAVING FRAMES MOVABLE ONE WITH REFERENCE TO ANOTHER, SAID FRAMES EACH HAVING CROSSRAILS AND SIDE RAILS, CUSHIONING MEMBERS DISPOSED ON EACH OF SAID FRAMES, AND A ONE PIECE COVER FABRIC DISPOSED ON SAID CUSHIONING MEMBERS AND SECURED TO SAID FRAMES, A TENSION CONTROL ARRANGEMENT COMPRISING A PLATE MEMBER SECURED TO A CROSSRAIL OF ONE OF SAID FRAMES AND EXTENDING BEYOND AN EDGE THEREOF IN THE DIRECTION OF THE OTHER OF SAID FRAMES, A WEDGE MEMBER DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID PLATE MEMBER AND SAID CROSSRAIL SO THAT SAID 